The Robins kick off their 2021-22 FA Cup and FA Vase adventures at the Beacon
Hassocks have been drawn against Combined Counties League Premier Division outfit Spelthorne Sports in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup.
It is a tough draw for the Robins against a side who had sat third in the Combined Counties League prior to the curtailment of grassroots football back in December.
The Spelly had won nine, drawn two and lost four of their 15 league matches to be six points off leaders Sutton Common Rovers, whom the Robins host in a pre-season friendly on Saturday 24th July.
Hassocks and Spelthorne had met once before. That came in the 2017-18 FA Vase at the second qualifying stage when the visitors won 3-0 at the Beacon thanks to a Matt Weston hat-trick.
Spelthorne will visit Mid Sussex on Saturday 7th August with a 3pm kick off. The winners will go onto face either Hassocks’ fellow Southern Combination League Premier Division side AFC Varndeanians at Withdean Stadium or Farnham Town, also of the Combined Counties League.
Whilst the Robins have never met Varndeanians before at senior level, they have enjoyed a number of entertaining encounters against Farnham over the past decade or so in both FA Cup and FA Vase.
In the 2021-22 edition of that latter competition, Hassocks have received a bye through the first qualifying round. In qualifying round two, the winners of K Sports or Beckenham Town will visit the Beacon on Saturday 25th September.
K Sports last came to the Beacon in the the first qualifying round of the FA Vase in the 2018-19 season. The Paperboys ran out 2-0 winners through James Alderman and Matt Gething.
Being handed a bye means that Hassocks have already progressed further in this year’s FA Vase than they managed last season when Peacehaven & Telscombe picked up a routine 3-0 success in Mid Sussex.
There was a much better experience to be had in the FA Cup. For the first time since 2010, the Robins eliminated a side from outside of the Southern Combination League in the competition when beating Balham on penalties.
James Littlejohn and Jack Troak scored as the 90 minutes ended level at 2-2. Dave Carruthers pulled off a sensational save in the resulting penalty shoot out and Hassocks were spot on, scoring all of their kits to progress.
The Robins exited the competition in the following round, going out at the preliminary qualifying stage after losing 3-1 against higher division Bedfont Sports.
